Intro
Self love, divine love, romantic and platonic love, queer and straight love, body love, hood love. This issue of Quoted is a tribute to universal love: the kind of love that makes a place like New York possible. New York is the greatest experiment in coexistence and tolerance. The entire world is represented in 302.6 square miles, over 800 languages, a variety of religions, hundreds of ethnicities, innumerable subcultures, and an infinity of dreams. Somehow, some way, we have reached an understanding: as long as we approach each other with good intentions and respect, we belong here. I personally think it’s a blessing to live in a city where love can take so many forms. In this issue, you will meet 10 wonderful New Yorkers who have generously opened their doors and their hearts to us. A Stonewall bartender who was there during the riots that started the gay rights movement. A Hasidic Jew deeply in love. A bodyconfident influencer. A newly independent trans person. An optimistic love therapist. A spirited preteen navigating adolescence. A deeply loving transformational teacher. A burlesque dancer who refuses to let anyone cage her spirit. An award-winning chef who found personal and professional freedom in the city. A hippie bank teller who is unapologetically himself. In New York, there is a tolerance for all kinds of love, a tolerance that you can’t find in many other parts of the world. That acceptance is a beautiful, integral part of the city’s soul. Be whomever you want to be, whenever you want. Love the way you want, how you want, whom you want. Every story, Quoted. Rolf Arne Leer Founder & Editor-in-Chief
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